Review of Red Cliff (2008) by Stuart B — 21 Apr 2011

I think I remember hearing this was the most expensive movie in Chinese history, and with such a lavish production it's not hard to see why. However, almost unusually nowadays, the film actually lives up to it's price tag, with a truly sumptuous epic which narrates the period in ancient China during the Battle Of Red Cliffs.

Taking elements of many recent asian historical action/dramas and adding in an element of Lord Of The Rings, the film is one of the most expansive and truly engrossing action films I've ever seen.

The visuals are were it really shows its strengths, with awe inspiring battle scenes which show a mastery of technique and strategies, the thrill and wow with every scene. However, that isn't to suggest the lull in between are to the films detriment.

The serenity and peaceful beauty is wonderfully photographed, truly evoking the etheral nature of asian mysticism. Where the film lacks I suppose is in it's dramatic moments, which at times feel overwrought and stops the momentum of the movie in it's tracks, while some of the comedic elements felt forced as a means to provide some comic relief.

But these are small misgivings which can be overlooked in a movie which feels to have carried on the influence of Kurosawa (I'm sure some of the warlords in this came straight out of Seven Samurai) and created a truly superb epic.